Mark Pentleton

There’s really only one song a Scot could play on Hogmanay: Auld Lang Syne. Our national poet Robert Burns wrote the poem in 1788 and along with the traditional tune known as Roud, it has become the traditional song of the New Year. Many versions of the song exist in many languages. Last year students [...]

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I recorded this piece last week as the accompaniment to a video I made on a cold afternoon in Ayr and Alloway. I’ll post the video below. The song was based on a poem by Christina Rossetti written around 1872. It only became a Christmas carol when it was given a musical setting by none [...]

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Today’s song is the traditional Scottish song The Skye Boat Song dating from the 1870s. It recalls the escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie from Uist to the Isle of Skye after his defeat at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. I’ve done something a bit different with the song, building on the pentatonic verse, and [...]

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Today is a special day on 365songs as my dad celebrates his 70th birthday! When asked if he had any special requests he asked for ‘O Sole Mio, so I hope he enjoys this performance! ‘O Sole Mio is a Neapolitan song dating from 1898. It has been recorded by hundreds of artists worldwide, from [...]

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Til alle mine norske venner: gratulerer med dagen! Hurra for 17. mai! Today’s song is dedicated to my Norwegian friends: Dag and Elisabeth, Knut and Ane, Jørund and Anne-Grete, and all other friends I’ve colleagues I’ve worked with over the years. 17th May is Norway’s national day and on many occasions I’ve been in Sandefjord [...]

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Today’s song is another of the Irish tunes I played the other night in Cheltenham. It’s sometimes  known as Our Wedding Day. This is a beautiful song and I’ve decided to do something a bit different today – I’ve combined the piano sounds of my Roland RD-700GX with some of the on-board synth pads to [...]

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If it’s Wednesday it must be Italy! (No, this has nothing to do with a certain coach trip…) I thought I’d play something Italian today – it’s been a long time coming! I hope you enjoy my version of Santa Lucia.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 4:07 — 5.7MB)

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Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! Happy St David’s Day to everyone. I thought I’d do a wee medley of two of the most famous Welsh songs I know for St David’s day today. The songs are Llwyn Onn – also known as Ash Grove in English, and the rousing Cwm Rhondda. It’s a bit different from [...]

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On this, our national poet’s day, I’ve decided to play my favourite Burns song, Ae Fond Kiss. When Burns settled down to married life with Jean Armour, he still had a strong affection for the woman he called Clarinda, Agnes M’Lehose. As she was about to set sail for Jamaica, Burns sent her this song. [...]

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